Lightning in a Bell Jar
by Ryder Bellamiren
Summary: High school (sort of) Alternate Universe! Like seriously; as in Clint's parents are still ALIVE and kicking, as well as Tony's Dad AU. Also, Loki is fully accepted by Asgard because of the alliance made (part of this AU verse) by Laufey and Odin centuries ago. CONTAINS SLASH. Prompted by jack-o-lantern12 on Deviantart. Soul-mate fic. If you enjoyed it, please REVIEW!


**A/N:** The idea for this is one started due a story called Fate's Scribbles. It's a Harry Potter/Glee crossover but the concept proposed stuck. It morphed into this, which I'm not entirely sure is healthy to think about. I tweaked it a bit and made some parts up entirely, so I hope it's different enough... This thing went through at least three different titles before I picked this one. High school (sort of) Alternate Universe! Like seriously; as in Clint's parents are still ALIVE and kicking, as well as Tony's Dad AU. Also, Loki is fully accepted by Asgard because of the alliance made (part of this AU verse) by Laufey and Odin centuries ago. Blame jack-o-lantern12 on Deviantart for putting the idea for a FrostHawk in MY mind in the first place! You! This is entirely your fault...

**DISCLAIMER:** Yes, I own them. It's perfectly fine to make fanfictions out of your own material... NO. Of course I don't own those sexy fuckin' characters. If I did no one would EVER pick up the Marvel comic books. Seriously, people. *shakes head* Although it would be kind of nice to have Hawkeye.

**WARNING:** This is a _**slash**_ fic. If you have a problem with that, click the back button or exit out of the window. When you read past this line, I have not coerced, forced nor compelled you in any manner to continue this fic. However, that being said, if you enjoy a good story despite the pairings/trio mentioned please continue. Holds ThunderHawkFrost (is there a shorter name for this fandom?), Stony and Tasha/Bruce (is that even a fandom pairing?). Violence, cursing and some blood may wildly appear. Psychological mind-fucks are inevitable and do happen. It's a ride, so hang on!

Ryder

_**P.S. READ ME! I have absolutely ZERO info on how an archery range works. I've never fired a compound or recurve in my entire life. Please forgive the shit I made up in an attempt to give you an idea of what I think it's like. I'm basing it off of time spent at an indoor gun range. Again, apologies for those who do shoot bows and if someone could get back to me on that, I'd probably thank you for forever.**_

_**P.P.S. READ ME SECOND! Cameos of various Marvel characters will appear. There aren't enough S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to populate the verse; therefore I'll be picking up characters from Marvel. At least I'm not taking them from DC (that would be awkward and hard to explain); I love them as much as any multi-verse fan can but certain crossovers need not happen in this particular story. Kudos to you if you can spot all of my research!**_

_**-Lightning in a Bell Jar-**_

* * *

The concept of soul-mates is not a new one. In fact, it's thousands of years old. But sometimes, just sometimes, soul-mates just meet each other and it goes a little something like this. There is a moment when you say to yourself, 'Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you for forever.' This is that story even if it contains a hawk and two gods a little far from home.

* * *

Clint looked at his parents in confusion.

"What do you mean we're leaving the circus? I have friends! I have an act!"

"It's just the chance that you might have a soul-mate, son. We haven't had one in nearly eight generations." Soul-mates weren't rare, exactly, but not common either. They had a pair in the circus... Diana would tell the most amazing stories from her tent when the gig was over. Her wife, Adrianne, blew fire and juggled. They did a balancing act together, their wife's name proudly displayed on the left over their hearts in what seemed to be henna ink but was actually a part of their bodies.

"But why can't we stay?" came his soft response.

"Sweetheart, I got a job offer." his Mom explained gently her slender fingers massaging his shoulders.

"As a social worker?"

"Yes." He weighed the pros and cons carefully and patiently, something his observations had netted him. His brow furrowed as he tapped the tip of one of his blunt arrows against his cheek.

"... Alright. But where are we going and can I keep talking with Diana?" he managed, looking up with hopeful grey eyes.

"Yes you can still send letters to Diana. We're going to New York."

* * *

Clint stared warily at the building proclaiming itself to be a school.

"Do I have to go here?" he asked his Dad, shrinking into his father's side at some of the mean stares he got.

"They're the best school we can afford, Clint."

"Hawkeye." Clint countered without even stopping, "Besides, no one here will know anything about archery."

"Ah. You see, Hawkeye, that's where you'd be wrong. They have one of the best teams out there." came the amused answer.

"Why do I have to start later than everyone else?"

"Your test results. You're actually smarter than the average cookie, kiddo. You'll catch up soon enough."

The rest of the day was filled with awkward introductions and Clint's insistence that the teachers call him Hawkeye. He sat at the one table no one seemed to want to sit at, poking at his tuna sandwich.

"Oh. No one sits here with me." The mild-mannered voice had him looking up with a tentative smile. "Robert Banner, but I like Bruce better." He shook Bruce's hand, brightening his smile.

"Clint Barton. I prefer Hawkeye. Know anything about archery?" he asked as he dug around in his back-pack for his thermos and bag of chips.

"No. You're the new guy. You should probably sit with the archery team. They're over there." he used his thumb to point out a bunch of guffawing boys and giggling girls.

"Eh. What do you like?" Clint waved off the obvious attempt to foist him off.

"Science. I'm not very popular."

"Popular schmopular. Ugh, cliques are sooooo out-of-date. What kind of science, Bruce?" he mumbled around his mouthful of potato chips.

"Gamma radiation."

"Huh. Wanna tell me about it?"

"Bruce!" He jumped about a foot off the bench (he would deny, deny, deny if asked, however) at the enthusiastic greeting that was aimed at his table companion. He barely managed to swallow the Gatorade instead of spraying it at Bruce from the shock.

"Nat?! I thought you were going-"

"Nah. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I left you-Oh. Hello." Green eyes took in his archery glove and the quiver that stood upright near the bench, the trick arrows the first available.

"Natasha, this is Hawkeye. He likes archery and doesn't seem to mind my science obsession."

"He's a genius. IQ is off the charts." The red-headed girl grinned and nudged the much shyer boy gently. "So, Hawkeye, your 'rentals name you that?"

"I don't like my name." he countered before biting into his tuna sandwich. "I like Hawkeye better. It's got some good memories attached to it."

"Like what?" Should he talk about his days as a carnie? Diana and Adrianne... "I mean, you don't have to say or anything. We're cool with that."

"Maybe later." he offered with another smile.

**-A Year Later-**

Clearly written in what looked to be black ink were two names. He brushed his fingers across the elegant script of the first and the loopy scrawl of the second. The names looked to be European, but he wasn't too sure.

"Mom!" he yelled, worry creeping in.

"What, Clint, you sound-Oh my. Harold!"

"Yes, dear?"

"He's got names!" There was silence before his Dad pounded up the stairs of their house. "See?"

"Can you read that?"

"You can't?" Clint asked in surprise.

"No, they look like runes of some kind."

"That one's Loki Laufeyson and the other is Thor Odinsson. You sure you can't read them?"

"Real sure, kiddo. Edith?"

"Two names are really rare." his Mom said softly. "It means you're bound to them when you're born." He gasped at the flux of emotions he knew weren't his; giddiness followed by absolute joy. Absently caressing the names, he smiled to himself, shooing his parents out of the bathroom. Clint couldn't believe it... He had soul-mates. Sinking down into the shower to sit on the tile, he sighed softly and ignored the goofy grin on his face.

* * *

Of course, this meant covering up the names with a gauze patch and wearing a slightly thicker t-shirt than normal. Most people in the school didn't know he had soul-mates in his family. It wasn't a thing most people were prejudiced about but there were some people with _weird_ ideas about how it worked.

"Heya, Hawkeye. Did you get a name?" Natasha proudly displayed Bruce's name (in a rather startling shade of turquoise) with a V-neck sweater. Bruce smiled at her and hugged her, her name displayed as well with her unique handwriting gleaming in a deep emerald green.

"... Not here. The Nest at noon, okay?" They split up after that, not sharing a class until after lunch. Clint had managed to get the teachers to use Hawkeye (mostly by not listening until they said it) and the day went by pretty smoothly.

He absently hummed a tune that he didn't remember the lyrics to until he realized that he didn't know the song at all. It must have been something his soul-mates knew. Clint stopped and started again with 'Highway to Hell' as he climbed the old annex that no one used anymore. Digging into his lunch, he spotted trouble in the form of three football jocks headed his way.

"Today was turning out pretty good too, damn it." Just because he made friends with the outcasts didn't mean he was immune to the shit the jocks pulled with Bruce and Tasha. They avoided Bruce since he'd had that growth spurt last summer and started taking self-defense classes with Tasha. But Clint? Oh they had a bone to pick with Clint since he'd put itching powder in their jock straps. He cursed his mischievous nature after the stunt, having to nurse a broken rib and two black eyes. In his defense, though, they'd been picking on his only friends.

"Hey, Birdy! Get down from your nest and face us like a man!" one of the jocks snarled.

"Ouch, like I haven't heard that one before." he called back, slurping his slushy through the straw in his thermos. "Seriously. Come up with some new crap over the summer!"

"How about I take one of your stupid arrows and shove where the sun don't shine?" another threatened as he calmly finished his sandwich and pelted them with his bread crust with pin-point accuracy. Clint acknowledged that the gesture wasn't helping his situation in any way but the fact that it amused him.

"Come up here and try, big boy." he said as his phone started blasting 'Reaper' as Natasha called him. "'Sup, Tasha."

"Care to tell me why the jocks have you cornered?" she asked, not even giving him a hello.

"They're still pissed about Operation Jock."

"That was last year. Man... Jocks hold grudges as well as cheerleaders do. Hold up, you might have a savior." she hung up on him. He watched in curiosity as the huge blond tapped the shoulder of the nearest jock.

"Hey, why is that kid up there?"

"He's a dead bird boy if he gets down. The bastard put itching powder in the jock straps last year on our last home game. It's cause of him that we lost." Jock one sneered as he answered.

"Huh. You sure it's him?"

"Why do you even care Steve? He put it in yours too, probably." Clint's eyebrow rose at his savior's name.

"I don't like bullies." The harsh words coming from the older teen had the other three flinching. "Coach doesn't either. Leave the kid alone." All three glared up at Clint who cheekily waved from his perch. "Go on before I tell Coach what you were up to." They grumbled but left him alone, leaving Steve to look up at him while shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. "Hi." Clint dropped down and fell into a perfect somersault before standing up from his crouch.

"Hi. Thanks for that. Name's Hawkeye." he held out his hand, shaking the huge hand the other guy had. Natasha brushed past the guy and so did Bruce as they checked him over. "Guys, I'm fine. Really."

"They did a number on you last time, Hawkeye. We're going to be worried." Bruce reminded him, his fingers gentle as he checked Clint over. He wrinkled his nose at that and shoved Bruce's shoulder.

"I'm fine. Steve here saved me from the big bad jocks, okay?"

"What were they talking about, by the way?" Steve asked, bright blue eyes looking at him with faint amusement.

"Oh, that. Umm... I didn't do it." A raised brow made him sigh. "Okay, okay but it was because they were harassing Nat and Bruce; I only put it in theirs alone. The rest of the team of was clean." he admitted, pulling an arrow out of his quiver and messing with it as Steve laughed.

"That's clever. So it's just-Hold on." Adam Lambert's "Strut" blasted out of Steve's phone, making him smile. "No, Tony, I don't. You want to meet them? Alright. No, you aren't allowed to take apart the teacher's lounge coffee machine and make it sentient. Why not? Tony, you had detention for a solid three months for the last one you brought to life. Sit there and wait for me... Yes, I'll give you a kiss if you stay put. Love you. Bye." Steve looked up to see Nat and Bruce making out. "Do they always do that?"

"... You have no idea. Earth to Widow and Hulk!" Clint deadpanned before he poked Natasha with the end of his arrow knowing it might end up killed. Sure enough, Natasha karate chopped it in half her eyes promising murder. "You guys shut everything out when you do that. We've been invited to see Steve's friend."

"Actually, he's my soul-mate. Does that bother you?"

"Nope." Clint deliberately popped the 'p' as they followed the older teen. He'd heard stories about this 'Tony' guy...

* * *

Thor lost his footing in the sparring room as the area over his heart heated up. He barely had time to block Sif's sword strike before she knew something was up.

"Thor, are you alright?"

"I am fine." he smiled at her as he let Mjolnir dangle from his wrist. "I need to speak with Loki, however." She nodded as he donned his cape and carried his helm under his arm. He sent a burst of love down the mental link he shared with his husband. The love was returned with amusement as the doors to their shared quarters opened without a sound.

"I take it you felt the third part of our bond awaken?" Loki asked as he looked up from his stitching. This was a new saddle pad for Slephnir, Loki's foal from before the alliance marriage. He had several others but Slephnir was one of Thor's favorites; Fenrir was the other.

"He has reached maturity." Thor concluded happily.

"Humans age much faster than we do, husband mine. He's merely fifteen years of age, Thor. He is not quite ready for us just yet." Thor wrapped his husband in an embrace, gently sending affection and reassurance down the newest part of the bond. He got surprise in return and a shy mental hug. Loki hummed as the gesture was also recieved by him. "He is still accepting of the bond, however, so all is well on that front."

* * *

Clint blushed as he felt the area over his heart heat up. The emotional phase of the soul-mate bond started soon after the mates had been accepted. Affection and something that felt like reassurance filtered through and he was surprised. As an afterthought, he tentatively sent a hug down the bond as well, targeting both of his new bondmates.

"Mr. Barton, will you please concentrate on the road?" The one teacher he didn't particularly care for was in his driver's permit class. The man either called him by his last name or by his first and he hated it. "It's not like you have a soul-mate to worry about." The man sneered at the thought of soul-mates and would deliberately separate the same-sex couples even if they had a bond. The school board had attempted multiple times to get rid of the man; he had some powerful allies, though, and it was beginning to irritate the parents. Clint gave the man an evil grin as he did a sharp three-point turn, deliberately not spilling the coffee in the man's hand as he did so. He drove perfectly tapping his fingers in a rhythm as he turned on the radio and sang along to the songs they put on. The instructor's face had a vein popping out as he pulled into the school parking lot.

"See ya, old man." he said as he took off for his next class.

* * *

Lunch had gradually developed a routine. Clint was always the first to get to their table, saving it from defacing by the cheerleaders and jocks. Bruce and Tony came second, spouting off about something sciency that was _way_ out of Clint's current knowledge base. Steve was always third, rounding out with Natasha bringing her lunch straight from her locker, which was the farthest of the group. Today proved to be different. He finished his sandwich and turned to Natasha to talk stealth, only to gasp in pain as his soul-mate's names burned. Clint clapped a hand over them as they bled through the gauze pad he used to cover them normally.

"Fuck." he spat out harshly, gripping the table as the pain heightened to agony for a moment. It seemed that they realized what they were doing and tried to block him. It burned again before the one that felt like Loki shut him out of the bond, the pain much fainter than before. He collapsed against the table black edging his vision.

* * *

Loki finally managed to over-ride the sorcerer's Dark Magiks, snarling as his Jotun form surfaced.

"You hurt him!" he growled as he snapped the manacles holding him in place. "Our bondmate!"

"He is of Asgard! What does it matter?" the fool sneered as he readied the staff again.

"No, he is not." Thor said quietly, his hand reaching under his armor and pulling away bloody. Loki knew that tone; his husband had used it only once when Odin had proclaimed the Jotun monsters and unfit for him to bind with. "You will pay for the pain you have caused." Mjolnir sent out a bolt of lightning and freed Thor as Loki advanced on the troldmand*, fangs bared as his blood-red eyes took in the Dark Elf's now fearful face.

"They swore those would hold!"

"They who?"

"Three Jotun. They refused to give their names!" Loki calmed suddenly still aware of the spell hurting Clint.

"What did you cast?" he asked softly, returning to his Asgardian form as he stalked around the now shivering Elf. "I can still feel that he is in pain."

"_Svageste af tre, smerte skal du føle, indtil obligationen du ophæve, som jeg vil det, så Mote det være.*"_

Loki hummed as he figured out how much power it would take to fix it, _"Du som kastede den fortryllelse nu tage effekt, elskede vores obligation genoplive." _he chanted softly, Thor chanting it with him to strengthen the magic. "Next time think before you insist on taking two gods hostage." he sneered as he chained the Elf there with manacles of Cold Iron, relishing in the screams as he soothed Clint down the bond.

* * *

Clint shot up from a dead sleep, gasping as he felt the bond warm up gently and then settle into lukewarm temperatures. He sent back gratitude & worry which was responded to with mental laughter. Clint scowled at his bondmates. The names glowed slightly before the general hum of emotions was back full force.

"You're awake." He reached for his bow before realizing that he'd left it in his clothes and he was wearing nothing but a hospital gown & boxers for modesty. "They said you'd look for it."

"They who?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, just about everyone who visited." the nurse shrugged broad shoulders as he checked Clint's vitals. "You've got a lot of friends."

"Yeah." Clint muttered as his fingers twitched uneasily.

"I was informed that you had soul-mates but they didn't visit."

"They're pretty far away." he answered absently, sipping the ice-water the nurse had poured for him. "Wait... Do my parents know?"

"That you collapsed from soul-resonance shock? No. That's confidential. Two names is pretty rare though. The doctors have all been in a tizzy." The guy flashed him a smile.

"What's your name?" For some reason, this guy made him relax.

"James Barnes. Everyone calls me Bucky."

"Do you have one?" The smile dimmed slightly before perking up again.

"Nah. I do have the most amazing woman ever as my fiancée though. Wanna see her picture after I finish my rounds?"

"Sure." Now that he was awake, Clint was aware that the sun's rays were peeping through his curtains. "Umm, Bucky? How long was I out for?"

"Two weeks." Two weeks? That was a lot of time. He frowned as Bucky left to finish his work. He clicked the T.V. on and was surprised to find he was on the local news.

"As we wake up let's hope that Mr. Barton wakes with us." Clint scowled at the screen and rolled over, turning it off, tracing out the pattern of a bow on his starchy sheets. He hated hospitals; he didn't much care for doctors either. Some rustling had him sitting up, his sore muscles tensing up of their own volition. It was Bucky and he sighed, scrubbing at his face in frustration.

"I'm on the news. Ugh, don't tell me this gets worse?" Bucky laughed quietly as he pointed out the flowers and chocolates scattered around his half of the room. "Noooo..." he grumbled, looking over at his neighbor for the first time. The neighbor turned out to be a huge wolf-like dog that wagged its tail and woofed quietly. "Umm, Bucky?"

"Oh. That's apparently a gift from your soul-mates. There's a letter on your left. No one's been able to touch it. Open it, okay? I'll have to page Dr. Coulson." Clint's curiosity got the better of him as he opened one end of the envelope and shook out the letter as well as a leather necklace that had some wooden runes as charms.

"Okay... Giant dog that's ridiculously cute, a necklace and a letter. They do things the old-fashioned way, huh?" The thick, soft paper was actually several sheaves, some of them in Thor's handwriting and some in Loki's.

_Dear Hawk,_

_I hope this letter finds you recovered. I apologize for the pain on your end of the bond. We were attacked, Thor and I, though we escaped with a few scratches. All you know right now is our names, little bird. Brace yourself; what we will tell you is not a prank nor is it false._

Clint rose an eyebrow at that last sentence, looking over at the dog, who whined softly. "Okay. I'll give it some leeway."

_Thor and I are gods-_

Clint hacked on his sip of water, holding the thick paper up out of reach of his coughing fit. "What. The. Hell? No, I said I'd give them a chance." He read it again, this time setting his water down before reading.

_Thor and I are gods from the realm of Asgard. If you are familiar with Norse mythology, we are respectively the gods of thunder and mischief. Our marriage was one of convenience until your name appeared along with each of our names on the other's chest. The dog currently with you is my son Fenrir. He is actually a wolf and is much larger in his true form. Fenrir is to keep you company. Furthermore, he will only obey your voice commands or my own mental._

_I am what is known as a Jotun or Frost Giant (gods, I hate the English name for my kind). I can use magic and I shape-shift as a matter of habit. Thus my children in both real life and in the many myths surrounding Asgard. I do prefer reading to trickery, though it does not seem that way in the Midgardian mythos._

_The necklace is for protection against such attacks in the future. They are the Norse Runes for protection and love. Thor and I crafted it together, so it should hold._

_I wish you the best, little Hawk. We will scry on you to check your health and well-being. I think your talent with the bow is amazing. A few of the sheets are for a letter, if you feel inclined to reply. They will be sent to Asgard as soon as you have sealed the letter in the envelope._

_Much Love,_

_Loki Laufeyson_

Clint looked over at the wolfish dog, raising his eyebrow as he spoke, "Come here, Fenrir." The amber eyes lit up and the dog jumped over to his bed, settling on his feet as he wagged his tail. "Okay... So he really is Fenrir. What does Thor have to say to all of this?"

_**Dear Hawk,**_

_**Loki has most likely told you of our status in his letter. Other than the sport of archery, what else do you do? I am not as eloquent as my husband, nor as silver-tongued. I hope Fenrir is obeying your commands.**_

_**I am glad you have friends. Loki has spoken of them when he scries you in the water. I apologize for the pain the sorcerer caused you. We were not quick enough to block the spell he cast on our bond. I wish you a pleasant recovery.**_

_**The necklace Loki and I crafted is meant for you. Loki has most likely explained its properties, so I will not repeat what he said. Your name is carved in Asgardian on each of the pieces of Yggrasil. Please wear it as a gift.**_

Clint went 'Aww...' on the inside, just a little. Thor was such a softy.

_**If you hear thunder, I am thinking of you, little Hawk. Best wishes and we will see you in three years' time.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Thor Odinsson**_

While Thor's letter had been shorter, Clint felt cherished. Loki had been careful with him a more guarded affection. He looked up from his letters and saw a man in a white coat. Since Fenrir hadn't growled at him, Clint supposed he was alright.

"My name is Dr. Coulson. Bucky informed me you just woke up?"

"Yessir." Clint put on the necklace, feeling safer as soon as he released it to hang around his neck.

"The dog is yours?"

"A gift from my soul-mates. Beautiful, isn't he?" he hummed as he petted Fenrir. "He's here in their place."

"Do you mind if I check your bandage?" He brushed the names with his hand as he mulled it over.

"Go ahead." He wriggled out of the paper gown and winced when Coulson peeled off the gauze. "How bad is it?"

"The names appear to have taken on some design." The doctor held up a mirror and Clint traced the tattoo-like colors that had formed around his heart. It curled and twisted in a fantastic formation around his left pectoral & collarbone before wrapping around the Asgardian Runes on his chest.

"Umm, is that supposed to happen?" he asked as he angled the mirror for a second look. The colors swirled, silver, black, blue, green and purple in an endless loop. He dug through his bag absently with his right hand and took an okay picture of the design to show his friends.

"This only happens when something traumatic happens to the bond. Resonance shock is one of many reasons, Mr. Barton. The more ornate the markings the more trauma on your end of the bond. I'm going to say that you were in a lot of pain before you passed out, correct?"

"Loki says someone interfered with our bond. They blocked me as best they could." he defended them, pulling the paper gown back up and hissing at the pain that coursed through his arm.

"That arm will be sore for a while, so be careful. I'm not accusing your soul-mates of anything." Coulson reassured him as he gently peeled the gown back down and placed a fresh, cool piece of gauze over his still raw markings, taping it in place. "Your school-work is on that table there. Your visitors will be allowed four hours. You are not to stress your left arm too much."

"Okay, but I'm left-handed. How am I supposed to fire my bow and do my homework?"

"You will _rest_, Mr. Barton, or I will pull the visitors. As for your bow, you will have to wait. The pen and pencil work shouldn't strain you too much." With that, Coulson left. Clint grumbled under his breath, dragging his textbooks and worksheets over awkwardly with his right hand.

"Don't worry. I can totally bring my resistance back up to 2,000 lbs. in two weeks for the final match against our rival school. Of course the doc says I can't strain it. Damn it." he muttered to Fenrir as he started the back pile of homework.

* * *

He wrote down the last answer when his door burst open and he was engulfed in hugs.

"Can't breathe and my arm hurts... Off!" he barked authoritatively. Steve and Tony eased up immediately, Bruce sitting on his bed and Natasha twirling the chair around to straddle it backwards. "Hi."

"Who's dog? Is he yours?" Steve asked as he held his hand out for Fenrir to sniff.

"That's Fenrir and he's from my soul-mates. Sorry about not telling you?" he leaned back against Bruce, his fingers tangled in Fenrir's thick ruff.

"It's fine. If I'd had two, I'd hide it too. Mr. Duquesne** has a hate board with your face plastered in the center." Tony said as he leaned on the other chair, the legs tipped up.

"You're going to break your face, genius. Put the chair back down." he laughed at Tony's expression before it registered what the other teen had said. "What? Isn't that illegal?"

"Since he's forbidden phones with cameras in his classroom, he thinks he can get away with it." Steve scowled and Clint made a mental note to never made the blond scowl; the guy looked too much like a disgruntled puppy. "That man is breaking so many humanitarian laws that he'll go to jail for a long time if we could just get a picture of that board..."

"Lemme guess, he takes it down if there's a visit from the Principal." Clint flicked through various scenarios to get the board discovered.

"Yeah, how'd you-Oh, you sly dog." Bruce was the first to catch on. "When and where?"

"I need you and Tony to have a physical fight and to break it out in the middle of his class so that he has no choice but to call the principal. After I get out of this place. Have I mentioned I _**hate**_ hospitals?" he hummed as he tugged on Fenrir, pulling the wolf closer. The wolf whined but obliged, laying across his stomach. "Oh, I took a picture of my soul mate's names. Here." He handed his phone to Bruce and snuggled with his first friend, feeling safe and content.

* * *

The stares he got were rather unnerving. He hitched his quiver higher on his right shoulder and spotted Tony.

"Hey, Tony."

"Hawkeye. Ignore the idiots, yeah? It's what I normally do." Clint tugged at his shirt, the lower collar making him uncomfortable as the design was now visible with the V-neck. (His Mom had gone into her closet and had come out with V-necks in different shades; Clint had stared at her like she was crazy before digging through the pile for a black or deep purple one. He'd ended up with the purple because she'd aimed the parental Stare of Doom at him when he lingered.) Tony slapped his hand away from his collar and peered at it again. "That is one pretty design, though. I can see why they would stare. Mine and Steve's isn't even remotely as colorful..."

"You don't want the pain that comes with it, genius." Clint scoffed as he left Tony at the door. He stepped into the archery range and rubbed his left shoulder, popping it to pick up the 1,000 lbs. drawstring bow as a test for his endurance. He did his normal stretch routine and found that the 1,000 lbs. barely strained his arm, which normally shook a little when he tested the others. He wondered faintly if his strength was borrowed from Thor and Loki or whether or not he'd grown stronger.

Gingerly tested the 2,000, he then picked up the last bow that no one ever touched. The 2,500 drawstring had the air of never being used and Clint reverently ran his hand along the double curve of the fiberglass bow. He tugged on the string and sighted down the range pulling it back effortlessly. Snagging one of his practice arrows, he breathed in then out, shooting straight into the center on his first try. It hit the target with a satisfying thud and he grinned as he pulled out one of his trick arrows to fire.

"Barton!" Clint whirled around and ended up pointing his arrow in the team captain's face. He relaxed minutely and allowed the drawstring to go slack; his trick arrow disappearing back into his quiver.

"Yeah?" he rolled all of his weight to his left leg, his fingers absently tracing the bow handle.

"How the hell are you using that?"

"I trained for the 2,000 lbs. bow and this one wasn't much of a stretch." he answered truthfully.

"You aren't even on the team. How'd you get in?"

"Individual practices. I petitioned for a time and it was granted. What are you doing here?" Clint murmured as he selected the regular quiver and unloaded it into all ten targets hitting dead center every time. He retrieved the arrows and wiped down all of his equipment, depositing the bow back onto the stand.

"You're good."

"Eh." Clint shrugged him off as he shouldered his backpack and his quiver, pulling his practice arrow last. "Who do you think wins all of the individuals for the team?"

"Why didn't you apply?"

"Too much paperwork." he casually tossed back at the stunned Captain.

He managed until Driver's Ed class, using Tony's words as a shield. Mr. Duquesne glared at his glossy soul-mate design before sneering, "Oh, look our resident hero joins us."

"Hawkeye." Steve protected him as he seated Clint behind and to his right. "Good to see you up and about." Tony sat in front of him, with Bruce to his right and Natasha directly behind Steve.

"As I was saying before our hero showed up, the exam should be Thursday. I hope you studied." Clint ignored the man, eyes flicking over the guide, reading contently. It was when he was touched that he reacted, stiffening as Mr. Duquense turned his face from one side to the other with the grip on his chin. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bruce slip out of his seat and out the classroom door; he was glad he had such good friends. "You think you're special? You're a _freak_. Two names branded on your chest, marking you as owned by two people for the rest of your life. You're a slave to them to their whims."

"No I'm not. We share everything." Clint growled out as he removed the man's hand from him.

"Everything? You sick little bastard. You're enjoying this disgusting farce?" the man literally spat in his face saliva dripping down in a loathsome manner.

"It's not a farce. My soul is bound to two others for eternity. I don't understand your aversion to it." he returned calmly, wiping off the spit and conveying his ire with a glare. "Leave me alone. Touch me again and it's the inside of a jail cell you'll see." He wasn't expecting the crack of a slap across his face.

* * *

"Shut up, freak. You're under the influence so I'll forgive you this time for your indescression." Clint slowly reached up and touched the livid bruise forming on his cheek. Something in him snapped; something he'd been keeping restrained for years. With a snarl, he let go of the force, amazed as it arced into being as blue lightning and struck his former instructor. He found it responded to his thoughts, immediately forming an astral looking bow and arrow, which he pointed at the astonished man. "Why aren't you cowering?"

"I am my own person. I don't follow the commands of a bigoted man who thinks he can force a bonded person into submission." The door burst open and the Principal took in the scene with cold eyes. She'd brought the Security Officers from outside and Bruce slipped back into the room as Duquense's attention was now caught on the man's livid employer.

"How dare you harm the students! Did you hit him?"

"The wretch was asking for it." The idiot dug his hole even deeper as Tony was recording the entire thing from his Stark Phone. "Look at him; weakened because he's attached to the sentimentality of being a soul-mate. It doesn't exist and it never will. It's just a concept."

"I've heard enough, Officers. Take him away." The door closed with a quiet click, the outraged yells still echoing down the hallways. "Mr. Barton, I apologize on behalf of the school."

"Hey, Hawkeye, you have any idea where that came from, by the way?" Tony asked, pointing at the still-formed astral bow. He blinked as the warm lightning pulsed under his hand, the rhythm one he recognized as Thor's heartbeat. (He had no idea how he knew THAT of all things but didn't question it.) Smiling to himself he released the bow; the energy swirled around him, crackling as it brushed over the bruise. Clint hummed as he let it run through his fingers like water as it faded.

"It's part of Thor, I think." Outside they heard an anguished scream and a ferocious snarl. The class rushed to the window, Clint front and center as he watched Fenrir attack his former teacher. Thankfully the windows were open. "Fenrir! Heel!" The wolf sat, still snarling terribly, his teeth stained red from the man's blood. The claws twitched as if the large animal wanted to disobey but held back due to respect. "I didn't think he'd listen for a moment." he sighed as Fenrir lay down on the school's front lawn. "Why is today just awful?"

* * *

**-A Year Later; Summer Break-**

Eyes closed, Clint sat in the rain as the sound of thunder rolled across the sky. Fenrir whined at him as he hugged the wolf close.

"Hey Thor." he said as he opened his eyes. The lightning strike responded with a loud -KRAKOOM- as he grinned. "It's nice to hear from you again." Thunder rumbled lightly as if to agree with him. Rain had plastered his bird's nest hair against his forehead.

"Clint?! Where-Get down from there at once! You'll get struck by lightning if you stay up there!" He quietly laughed at his Mom's concerned expression. Confident that Thor knew where to direct the lightning he hummed as he picked his way easily across the slick tiles, Fenrir right behind him. "I swear you get that obsession with heights from his side of the family. None of us had it as a child... Look at you, soaked to the bone." Clint hugged his Mom ignoring her indignant squeak at the state of his soaked clothes.

"Love you." he murmured into her shoulder, breathing in her familiar scent.

"I love you too, honey. Now get those wet clothes off and come down once you've changed. Bruce and the rest of your friends are downstairs."

"Okay."

"And dry off Fenrir. He's dripping all over the place." she called over her shoulder as she walked down the stairs.

Clint slid down the first banister, did a back-hand spring, slid down the other banister and popped up from his crouch, ruffling Fenrir's dry fur as the wolf snorted.

"Why do you do that?" Tony asked as he fiddled with what looked to be a holographic interface (Hey, as far Clint was concerned, the more he knew the better he could get along with his genius friends).

"Why do you insist on dragging all of your mechanical crap into my workshop?" he shot back, snagging a root beer from the minifridge. "Anybody want a soda?"

"I do." Steve said as he sketched out some art project for his advanced class.

"What flavor?"

"Cherry." Clint flicked it at the football star, grinning as Steve caught it without looking. Natasha was welding something that shot out poison-tipped senbon* needles. He was fiddling with the recurve bow his Dad had gotten him for Christmas. Drawing out his own diagrams, he made the bow collapse in on itself and then tested it to make sure it worked; he ended up pinning a piece of Bruce's theory on gamma radiation to the scarred wooden desk just as it was about to fly away.

"Thanks. I needed that page." Bruce muttered as he poked at one of Tony's experimental interfaces, using his fingertips to spread out some weird formation and pin-pointing one of the round parts with a frown. "Tony, what is the formula you used on that last calculation we did together?"

"Hold on. I need to-Yes! Oh, I love this thing. I think I'm calling him JARVIS. JARVIS, send Bruce the equation."

"Yes Master Stark. Which equation?" Clint stared at the glowing blue screen as did the rest of them. The British voice was cool and formal but seemed alive.

"Bruce?"

"Umm, the beta version."

"Right away, Master Banner." It popped up on Bruce's screen instantly, laid out in a manner that only Bruce or Tony understood.

"Tony, what did you just make?" Clint asked, pushing aside the hologram to stare at his friend seriously.

"A fully functioning artificial intelligence. Dad doesn't even have one of these." came the smug answer. "JARVIS is something he didn't make and I intend to keep it that way which is why he stays here for now. I need to figure out if that voice is really his though... JARVIS, did you take that off of the Internet?"

"No sir. I do not have a connection with the Internet."

"Okay, fixing that right now. No way is my AI going to be halfway on anything." Tony muttered as he dove back into the mess of mechanical on the area reserved for him. "Let's see, that's fried from my last attempt to build you..."

* * *

School rolled around quicker than Clint wanted it to, causing the usual frenzy it always did.

"Do you have everything?" his Mom asked as she reached for his hair. Clint waved her hands away with his own, scowling at her.

"Mom!" he whined, "No touching the hair. I worked hard to get it like this."

"Like you just rolled out of bed? Is that even a thing?"

"I did just roll out of bed. Yeah, it's a thing."

"What about this outfit?"

"The boots are a gift from Nat." he huffed as he untucked his black and purple shirt. "I like what I'm wearing."

"Leave off, sweetheart." His Dad chuckled softly as he patted Clint's shoulder. "Ready for a new year?"

"Please. Tony will blow something up by the end of it." he laughed as he sat down with his bowl of cereal. Unbidden, his gaze slid to his Mom's gently rounded stomach. This was his parent's last try to give him a sibling. They'd been trying for years and had finally succeeded with invitro treatments. "Hey, you think he'll have soul-mates too?" His Mom gave him a sweet smile before gently caressing the bump.

"What makes you say the baby's a boy?" Clint shrugged, chewing on his cereal as he thought.

"Dunno. I just do. Sh-Crap. Gotta go!" The honk of Tony's Camaro made him finish his food in record time kissing his Mom's hair and bear-hugging his Dad. "Bye!" Fenrir bounded out after him, the green collar standing out on his dark fur. "Hey Steve. Tony, you look like a douchebag."

"Shut up. You're just jealous I have Steve." Tony shot back without any venom. "Your dog can't sit in my car."

"Fenrir always comes with Tony. Quit being difficult." Steve rolled his eyes as they drove to school, generally fooling around and singing song lyrics terribly. (Tony was alright with Black Sabbath but that was because he was a total nerd about 80s bands.) Natasha was nowhere to be seen and Bruce was sitting on a bench, headphones on and his gamma notebook (green, which made Tony snicker for some reason) out, the pen moving across the page pretty fast.

"Hey, Sciencebro, you discover a new element or something?"

"Or something. Put my headphones back on, you jerk." he huffed with a wry smile as Tony pulled one of the sides away from Bruce's ear.

"Nope. Not until you tell me what it is."

"It's complicated and I don't think you have enough on the principles of matter to handle my theory." countered the other genius, making Clint snigger at the implication.

"Oh, come on! I do so have them down... I have to search my mind palace for it though. I catalogued it as unimportant." Tony muttered as he absently snagged Steve's hand, dragging the older amused teen along as he continued to speak to himself under his breath. "I thought it was unimportant. Note to self: recall principles of matter due to Sciencebro discussion with Bruce."

"Are you seriously reading the Sherlock series again?" Clint asked as he followed them.

"No. I watched the movie again. By the way, nowhere is the exact phrase 'my mind palace' said. Same thing with 'Elementary, my dear Watson.'" Tony rattled off the facts as if it were an inconvenience, yet he sought to correct the knowledge Clint held. "Who in their right mind in 1878 would say that phrase? It's terrible. It implies that there's something more to the relationship between doctor and genius than most people realize. Ugh, why do I go here again?"

"Because I do." Steve reminded him gently, "I like it when you go off on a tangent that has nothing and everything to do with the conversation-Whoa!" Clint had unfolded his bow and pointed an arrow at Natasha's face before she could sneak any closer.

"Chert voz'mi! Kak vy eto sdelali?"* she muttered in Russian as she kissed the top of Bruce's curls.

"It's something I have a talent for." he grinned as he put away the bow.

* * *

The weeks flashed past quickly, startling him a bit as it hit Halloween.

"Hawkeye."

"Here." he replied, not bothering to raise his hand. The teacher knew he'd respond so he tuned out as she went through the morning announcements.

"The Halloween dance will be held in the gymnasium. I hope you bought tickets." Natasha rolled her eyes and mouthed 'Bruce bought tickets'. Tony did the same not five seconds later, only he made vaguely awkward hand shapes then pointed at Steve. He doodled in his notebook, knowing that he'd remember everything later when he was reminded of the drawing. It was one of his quirks that the teachers accepted. The ink spilled across the page as his senses picked up the information. It evolved as the discussion turned to chemical equations, incorporating numbers and symbols as part of the design. By the time class was done the left side of his hand that had touched the paper was covered in differed colored inks. Clint ignored the colors and went to pick up his backpack when a soft hand covered his. Ms. Monroe signed at him in ASL.

_'You don't seem deaf.'_ Clint scowled and signed back fiercely.

_**'Just because I am doesn't mean anything. I can do everything a regular person can and some things they can't.'**_ He slung the straps of his backpack and quiver over his shoulder, vibrating with anger as he stormed out of the room.

* * *

He slammed his things onto the lunch table and growled at his sandwich.

"Hawkeye?" Bruce asked, nudging him with his shoulder. "You alright?"

"Chemistry teacher." he sighed as he inspected his Funnyuns to see if he'd broken them. "She made me mad."

"Why?"

"...She signed _at_ me." Clint finally admitted quietly, frowning at his thermos as it refused to open. "I hate that."

Bruce sighed as he popped open the stubborn container, "What did she say?"

"You don't seem deaf. Hey, where is everyone?"

"Dance clothes." Bruce laughed as he sat in his usual seat across from Clint.

"You already anticipated all of this and bought your suit beforehand, didn't you? So..."

"You had a right to be a bit upset. I hope you didn't curse her out."

"Nah. I just told her to shove it, but I was nicer than I normally would've been." he hummed as warmth and concern flooded down the bond from Loki. Clint smiled softly as he sent back calm and happiness.

"Which one was it this time?" his best friend asked with a chuckle.

"Loki. I've gotten better at telling who is who. Thor's a bit like a puppy when it comes to the bond. Loki's like a cat but he pays more attention to my feelings."

"Huh." A huge rush of warmth made him laugh as Thor also sent a nonverbal apology down their link. "Thor?"

"He apologizes when he misses the emotions. It's not often though and sometimes he's the first to respond when Loki's busy." he hummed as he finally munched on his sandwich. Clint swallowed with some difficulty as Ms. Monroe spotted them sitting together. "Shit."

"She's spotted us?"

"Yeah."

"Gonna fly or stay?" Bruce asked mildly as he pulled on his headphones and pulled out the gamma notebook. Clint put on his own headphones, cranking up the Step Up soundtrack, ignoring her in favor of the music as he mouthed the lyrics. He flipped open his sketchbook (a gift from Steve last month on his birthday) as his mind processed the music. Ink bloomed across the page as he drew a realistic griffin, switching out gel pens as fast as he could finish the part it was needed for.

Rudely ignoring her hovering presence, he let Tony's sharp words take care of her as he vented on the smooth page; blood dripping from faux rips in the paper, the white hide of what appeared to be a Pegasus ripped to ribbons. Black ink seeped into the red as he reached the crescendo of the song he was listening to. He breathed softly as he eased off one headphone, his contentment visible in the small smile and half-lidded eyes as he sighed.

"More vent art? Who was that standing next to you?" Steve was the first to ask as he sent a stink eye towards the teacher.

"Yes and that was my Chemistry teacher."

"Why was she looking all weirdly at you?" Tony had no tact and Clint slapped the genius's arm.

"Tact, idiot. She figured out that I was mostly deaf."

"She signed _at_ him instead of _to_ him. It's the rudest thing you can do. The thing is that Hawkeye can hear everything since I tinkered with the aids." Bruce explained, rolling his eyes at Tony's confused expression.

"I still don't understand. Why is it bad?"

"Tony, Tony, Tony. It's like someone telling you JARVIS can't take your voice commands anymore because he's not yours." Bruce stated bluntly to the other genius.

"What?! Oh that woman-Hmm?" Steve silenced Tony using his preferred method of kissing.

"It's actually more that no one but Diana signs to me anymore. She's really good at it." he smiled at the thought of his carnie friends.

"Diana?"

"I haven't told you guys about Diana and Adrianne?" Internally he was panicking, hyperventilating and everything else under the sun.

"No... Who are they?" Natasha asked, pulling his drawing over for inspection.

"I'm not sure how to explain this. Hold on." Clint sent a text to his Mom, typing quickly and sending the message before any of them could read it.

_**Mom, carnie days and Diana mentioned. Should I tell them?**_

His phone buzzed and he yelped as it vibrated in his pocket.

_Yes. It's about time too; Diana's coming over for Thanksgiving along with the rest of the carnies._

He sighed and closed his flip phone. "It's a long story."

"After school then. No excuses." Natasha grumbled, pinning him with a stare.

* * *

Clint was tight-rope walking the wires outside of his house practicing his circus act for the first time in what seemed like forever. Landing precisely on the deck, he waited for all of them to show up.

"Okay, I need you guys to sit right there. I'll be back." He'd roped his parents in as well, butterflies fluttering like mad in his stomach.

"Announcing Hawkeye of Carson's Carnival of Travelling Wonders! Trickshot's apprentice is here to amaze and stun you all!" He stepped out in his stage outfit, slipping back into the persona of a carnie as though it had never left. Clint did a free-fall off of the high wire, firing his grappling arrow and catching himself less than two feet off the ground. He heard Steve and Tony gasp and Bruce mutter, "Holy shit."

Clint released the mechanism on his arrow and caught it as he rolled to a crouch, firing off his arrows one by one into exploding targets. From there, he leapt into acrobatics as he avoided the falling pieces and shot his last explosive arrow into the largest chunk headed towards him. It burst into fireworks as he bowed to his audience, which had expanded in the last couple of minutes.

"Bravo little Hawk." Diana spoke as she signed, making him smile. "I like that you kept the exploding arrows."

"I like the explosions. How's Adrianne?"

"Oh, pregnant with our third. The other two know all about you."

"Hawkeye, Hawkeye! That was awesome!" The twins bounced up and down, tugging on his pants.

"Geez you guys grow like weeds." He folded his bow away and picked up both of the seven-year-olds.

"Uh-huh. It's cause we eat our veggies, Hawk." Clint rolled his eyes as he dropped them down on the couch.

"Whatever. Hey, guys, this is Diana." Tony, Steve and Bruce all took her hand like gentlemen and Natasha shook her hand. "The brats are Gerard and Stella."

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am." Steve smiled as she took in the way he was wrapped around Tony, who was chattering away to Bruce about a new development in JARVIS's systems. "You'll have to excuse Tony. He goes a mile a minute and barely stops to eat or breathe."

"Hey! I do so stop to eat and breathe."

"When I drag you out of the labs or the shop or your Dad's lab after three days of no food or rest."

"Geniuses don't need sleep-" Steve rolled his eyes and caressed the soul-mate design, making Tony stop mid-sentence to turn around & use Steve's shoulder as a pillow. Bruce hummed as he nuzzled against Natasha's shoulder, content with being around her. It made his chest ache as he closed his eyes and imagined what it would be like with both of them wrapped around him.

"Hawkeye?"

"Hmm?" He opened his eyes to see Diana give him a small smile.

"It's okay to miss them."

"I know. Two more years before I can see them."

* * *

Thanksgiving flashed past and before he knew it, it was winter vacation. They were traveling with the circus again; Bernard (his baby brother) tagging along with them this time. Trickshot and the rest welcomed them back with open arms.

"How's your aim?" Trickshot laughed as Clint pulled out his folded up recurve. "New arrow?"

"Nah." He unfolded it with a flick of his wrist, snagging a trick arrow as he pointed it at a target. "I made this." He fired it straight up and grinned as it exploded into confetti.

"The trick arrows have gotten more complex."

"Yeah. I had a buddy of mine fix the release mechanism timing to less than a fifth of a second. It also registers where it's headed, what direction and if the target's solid enough to withstand impact. They'll swerve if they head for the crowd." Clint laughed as he showed his old mentor the quiverful of arrows, each color-coded to specific actions.

"Where did you get this?" Trickshot fingered the leather quiver carved with intricate protections in Norse Runes.

"It's a Christmas present from my soul-mates. They can't be with me right now, but they're very thoughtful." he murmured as he brushed the names of his soul-mates absently.

"Have they done this for a while?" Buck asked, his grey eyes showing worry.

"They're harmless, really. They sent me a guard dog. Hold on." He whistled sharply, calling Fenrir to his side and petting the massive wolf-dog. "Buck, Fenrir. Fenrir, Buck is a good friend." The wolf huffed lightly as Clint's former mentor held out his hand for a sniff. Fenrir wagged his tail as Buck scratched behind his ears, thumping it against the hard-packed dirt of the circus ring. "Traitor." Fenrir chuffed as he pulled away from Buck and sat on Clint's feet, the warm body making him smile. "What?" The golden eyes looked up at him for a moment before the wolf-dog laid his head down.

"That dog loves you."

"Yeah, just like his owner."

"Fenrir isn't yours?"

"Nope. You could say he's just being borrowed." he laughed at his own joke, laughing even louder at Buck's confused expression. "I can't tell you, but trust me, the truth would blow your mind."

"Why can't you tell me?" his mentor frowned as Fenrir wandered around the ring, occasionally sniffing the ground before loping back over to Clint for a stroke or petting. He sighed as he thought about it. The astral bow and arrow stood out in his mind and he concentrated on Thor. It sprang into existence in his hands, the arc of lightning making the tent glow a beautiful shade of sapphire.

"It's complicated. This is part of a bondmate's power channeled through our link. You see why I can't tell you?" Buck stared open-mouthed at the astral bow as it again disappeared with the soft brush against his cheek. Clint concentrated on Loki and got a solid green bow that had golden accents, Norse Runes burned into the wood. When he pulled back the drawstring, the arrow was astral but wavered between reality and the other plane. He let it go and it solidly thunked into the high-wire tower. He wanted it back but was unsure of how to get it down. It twitched before materializing in his hand.

Clint let go of the attachment to Loki quickly, soothing it as he got over his shock; he hadn't expected to wield their powers quite so effectively. He sent an apology down the bond, strong enough to rattle the bondthreads in his sincerity. Loki sent back awe and excitement. Thor quickly followed after with admiration and what felt like pride.

"I see why you'd want to keep it quiet."

* * *

Barely into school again, Clint was alone for the first time in a while. Tony wasn't back from his vacation, Bruce was in the chemistry lab working with Ms. Monroe (they'd cleared up the mess about signing _at_ instead of _to_ him fairly quickly), Natasha was nowhere to be seen (probably because she didn't want to be seen spying on her soul-mate and his teacher) and Steve was doing ROTC things which left him pretty much on his own. He sat on the metal bars outside of the school at lunch, bored out of his mind without Tony or Bruce to challenge his knowledge-base (which was quite extensive now due to associating with said geniuses). About to go practice his astral bow summoning Clint spotted the TA getting harassed by Mark Scarlotti, the baseball coach.

"Hey!" he spoke up, sliding off the bars to head towards them. The man sneered as Clint reached them and pushed the TA (who had scarily high heels) behind his back. "Leave her alone."

"Scram brat."

"She looked like she didn't appreciate the attention, sir." he replied steadily willing to shoot one of his harmless foam (laced with sedatives) arrows into the guy's face. She folded her arms across her chest, pulling a Taser from her purse with a determined expression as she stepped out from behind him.

"He's right Mr. Scarlotti. I do not appreciate your attention and I will be reporting you to Administration."

"Why you little-Gurk! Aaaaargh!" They fired simultaneously at the man, looking at each other in mild surprise at their weapon choice. Scarlotti twitched and went limp as the shock from the Taser ran its course.

"Hey, umm, sorry about the whole behind my back thing." he grinned as he held out his hand after folding his recurve back up. "I'm-"

"Hawkeye. I know. I'm Ms. Monroe's TA. Pepper Potts." They shook hands and Clint did a double-take.

"Where else do I know you from? I've seen you before but not at school... Gimme a minute." he held up his hand as he thought, his mind sifting through memories before hitting on the thing he wanted. "Oh. You're Bucky's girl?"

"He shows that picture everywhere. He's an idiot." she laughed as she sat with him, pulling out a little paper sack that held healthy foods.

"Ick, _health_ food. Leave me my tuna any day..." he made a face at the bran wheat sandwich with lettuce and all kinds of veggies. "So besides being the TA for Ms. Monroe, what else do you do?"

"I work for Howard Stark." she said dryly as she sipped on what looked like orange juice.

Clint coughed as it clicked in his mind who she was, "Oh!"

"Yes, oh. I do most of the paperwork for both Tony and Howard on a daily basis."

"... You're not really doing her paperwork, you're doing Stark stuff. Huh." he shrugged and laid down on the bench, missing Bruce's fingers carding through his hair as well as the chatter their group generally had. Life after high school was going to suck royally unless they got together at least once a month. Clint yelped as small, slender fingers carded through his hair, relaxing as Pepper smiled gently at him.

"I take in the group as a whole because Howard asked me to. I know you're alone today."

"That's sweet and a little creepy but you scratch good so I'm going to ignore Howard's paranoia." he hummed as he heard footsteps.

"Pep! What are you doing petting the resident hawk?"

Clint laughed as he heard Tony's offended tone, "Relax genius. She's petting me cause I was all alone. When did you get back?"

"Just now. Where's everybody anyway? They're missing all of this awesome right here."

Pepper rolled her eyes and patted the seat next to her. "Tony, I swear, if I didn't do your paperwork you'd drown it." Tony huffed as he sat down, his expression highly miffed.

"Still, the resident hawk?"

"Shut up you piece of scrap metal." Clint hummed as Pepper found a spot that made him limp. "Besides, I need this to keep up with your crazy. I honestly don't know how Steve deals with you."

"I didn't know people could purr, Hawkeye." Pepper removed her hand and he nudged her fingers with his cheeks.

"Mmmr. I'm not purring." He'd always been able to produce the sound, deep in his chest as it reverberated back up to his vocal chords. "I've always been able to do that. It runs in the family."

"Hereditary? Hmm... I need my Sciencebro!"

"What's hereditary and why is Clint getting petted?" Bruce was the only one who get away with calling him that, having discovered his family quirk first.

"Hawk here _**purrs**_, Brucey."

"Oh I know. Apparently it's from the side that likes heights and pulling crazy stunts." his first friend laughed at Tony's dumb-founded look.

"Hey, that means that Barney might have-"

"Take a chill pill. I think it's epic and I'd love to analyze a few cells under a micro but we have to get to class right now or be late, buddy boy."

* * *

The technician watching the video feeds frowned as yet another unknown trait of Project B's appeared.

"Ma'am, this was not expected to happen." a different tech hesitantly relayed.

"I know." the shadowy figure of a woman snarled, her sharp teeth visible for a moment. "That DNA adapted too quickly in the following generations of B's offspring. You will note that they have conceived another child."

"Invitro fertili-"

"Wrong again, you absolute imbicil. They only miscarried because she was under stress at the time. Subject B's more than fertile enough to populate his own army should he want it. I have no idea why the programming would chose such an embarrassingly inferior specimen to couple with." she sneered, dark eyes watching as the most promising part of the Project touched the Runes that signaled its soul-mates. That had been a surprise. One she had not anticipated and one connection she would relish in destroying with a cunning stroke. The soul-mates gave him autonomy to break free of his weaponry programming. They would have to die.

* * *

Clint felt a shiver run down his spine and felt the inexplicable urge to run to his soul-mates. He shook his head as he fired off another six rounds with ease. The feeling of being watched hadn't diminished in the least for the past four months. He got fed up as he last arrow went awry, letting out his frustration in the form of a shout.

"What the hell?!" he took a deep breath and summoned all of the arrows back to his quiver with a bit of Loki's magic, checking to make sure he wasn't taking it from anything too important or powerful. Loki sent back a large wave of amusement at his thoughts. The bond had matured to the point that telepathic thoughts were accidentally getting directed (at least from his side) and he was constantly assaulted from little whispers that escaped whatever minimal shields his bondmates had put up. Thor's concern followed, almost questioning his brief flash of anger. He decided his shot in the dark was now or never; he was about to project his thoughts.

_**I think someone's been following me for months now. Dad said that it happened to him when he was my age. This someone isn't likely to be friendly with the awful feelings I've managed to pick up.**_ The silence down the bond was nearly deafening.

_Since when have you developed this ability? Thor and I can only sporadically communicate in this manner when we are in grave danger. Are you in danger? Do we need to help you?_ Loki's voice was smooth, just as silver-tongued as Thor had described him in the letters that he still kept on him at all times. He relished in the feeling as he thought about his conundrum. _You are relieved by the sound of my voice._

_**Yeah. I don't think they'll hold back as much by the time I turn eighteen. I think you guys will be hurt by whoever this is.**_

_How can you tell that? You are still human._ Loki countered, thoughtfulness flashing down the bond before vanishing.

_**...I don't know about that.**_ Clint murmured, spilling his deep seated fear that he, his Dad and his brother weren't entirely human. _**It's just the guys that can purr, like high places and are excellent shots. I really don't like the fact that someone may have made my Dad something **__more__** than he was and then let him go. **_Thor's vibrant presence let him know he'd been listening in.

**If what you speak of is true, you will have to stay alert for strange individuals, little Hawk.**

_**I know. You guys feel it too, don't you?**_ he asked, mentally snuggling up to the pair of them like a cat in need of attention.

**Aye, and that in itself is disturbing.**

_Indeed. Stay safe, little Hawk._

* * *

He carefully informed his Dad of the fact that they were being followed and the warm blue eyes had contained a terrible sadness.

"So they found me."

"Found you? What do you mean _they_ found you?"

"Found us, actually. The carnie way offered us a chance to escape her." His Dad looked up with what seemed like a lot of effort.

"Who is this woman?"

"Her name is Javelynn. I don't know what she did to me. I'm sorry you have to get involved in this mess." his Dad murmured as they quietly took in the workshop of the Avengers.

"I think she wants something. This feeling I get, it's not well-meaning at all... Full of malice and _hate_. I don't understand it."

"She can't be understood. Not in the few times I managed to surface above the sedatives they kept me under did she make any sense to me. Kept mumbling something about a perfect weapon... Sorry, son, I can't remember much more than that."

"You think I'm her idea of a perfect weapon? Whatever she added doesn't like the idea of captivity."

"Stay alert. I have a feeling she'll strike when we're least likely to expect it."

* * *

Javelynn sneered as Project B's offspring slept on a high beam in the loft. The downside of adding cheetah DNA to a human's was that the weapon slept deeply and often in high places when it could get to them. It shifted and the brilliant soul design glimmered faintly in the surveillance camera. The colors were vibrant even through the grainy video feed which startled her slightly. They shifted as it rolled over, a rumbling purr starting even as it breathed. The gloved hand twitched as it apparently fired a bow in its sleep. She was satisfied with its paranoia level. _Soon you will kneel at my feet like the beast you are and obey. Your Sire will be on my right and you on my left._ she thought with a sadistic smirk.

* * *

**-Graduation Day-**

Clint strode across the stage confidently his grad gown loose and maneuverable. Strapped to his back was the magical quiver and strapped to his arm was his folded recurve, awaiting danger in any form. He snagged his diploma, shook the Principal's hand and retook his seat with a smile. The ceremony dragged on but the sun was shining, the sky was clear and then- The sound of a gunshot scattered the crowd as black-clothed men closed in on his family. He shot arrows at the first three who reached his parents, summoning the sharp-tipped projectiles back without even an inkling of pity as the beautiful day turned into a nightmare. Steve reached his family first, using a car door as a shield against the tranquilizers aimed at his Dad and Barney. He wasn't even going to comment on the absurd amount of strength Steve was displaying as Tony typed something into his smartphone, the normally warm ochre eyes hardened into harsh topaz. Natasha and Bruce had tag-teamed on several of the goons, moving with a tandem he could only wish for. That made him pause as he projected again, surprised to find that it was suddenly a lot easier than before. _**Guys, I could really use your help!**_

_Certainly._

**You may want to tell your friend's to drop anything metallic.**

"Avengers, drop your metallic stuff! Thor's got us covered." No sooner had his friends dropped everything than a huge lightning bolt struck their enemies, sparking out to hit the stray fighters who were still trying to tranquilize them. _**How is this easier all of a sudden?**_

_We were going to surprise you. We landed on Midgard not three hours ago._

**Aye, as Loki said. We are in close range to you. Would you like us to pursue your enemies?**

_**We're doing it together.**_

_... As you wish, little Hawk._

_**Thank you.**_

* * *

Javelynn stared at the scene with burning eyes as her weapon fought back and fought off some of her best men.

"Dammit! I will not lose to that beast! Send more men!"

"Ma'am, that strike neutralized all of our men on the ground." the head technician stated calmly. She reached across the console and back-handed him.

"I want that beast. You will get it for me; it and it's Sire. The cub can stay with its Dam for a little while longer."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Excellent."

As she walked away, she never heard the technician hiss at her back, "I hope he kills you."

* * *

Loki looked down at their little Hawk, surprised at the teen's height.

"Loki?" the tilted head, the underscent of some kind of _cat_ (of all things), he committed to memory. Thor's end of the bond was quiet as beautiful sapphire eyes traced over the slim body and compactness of their soul-mate. "Thor?"

"Yes it is us. Forgive our attire, we had assumed that we would meet you after your graduation. The battle took us by surprise." he smiled at the teen as he changed their armor to mortal clothing. "Would you like me to fix your clothing?"

"Nah." The soul-mate design was almost glowing as Clint took them in with eyes that reflected the sky in brightness and color. "I can't believe you're really _**here**_." Thor's excitement got the better of him; he scooped up their Hawk and held him close, closing his eyes as Clint relaxed in his hold. "Holding me..." Under the excitement was a deep-seated fear that Loki sought to erase at once.

He embraced both Clint and Thor whispering to their soul-mate softly, "Our apologies for waiting so long, little one. We wanted to make sure you did not feel overwhelmed with the attention we wished to lavish upon you."

"Aye, little Hawk, never think that we did not want you; that I or Loki did not want this. Rest assured I will not leave your side for this day forth."

"Agreed. There was a piece of us missing when you were here on Midgard." he murmured as they breathed in Clint's unique scent. "As for the comment that you are not human, little one, I do scent a cat of some kind."

"Dad could never figure out what type."

"Perhaps it is something we could search for after meeting your merry band of friends?"

* * *

He soon realized that Clint's friends were far more frightening than his parents.

"What do you do for a living?"

"I craft spells. There is no need to work." he said stiffly as the other teen looked at him with suspicion. Clint laughed, shaking his head at Stark.

"Tony, shut up. Loki and Thor literally don't need to work. It's complicated in ways you'd never understand." his soul-mate explained as Thor was getting along with the others. His husband had always managed to make friends wherever he went. "Thor, can I see your hammer?"

"As you wish, little Hawk." Thor summoned the monstrous thing and set it on the ground.

Clint smirked as he motioned for Tony to pick it up, "Go on." Tony tried and failed as it did not detect the qualities of his husband (it did lift a minute amount). Banner was next; there was a slight lift but still the hammer did not move too far.

Romanova raised a brow and wrapped her hand around the hilt, tugging with little effort. The hammer still did not move from its spot though the weapon appeared to wilt under the strength of her glare. Rogers was the last to try, the deep blue eyes full of reserve. He picked it up and handed it back to Thor without having any idea what he was doing*.

"He wielded my hammer with ease!" Thor sat up, staring at his weapon with a look akin to awe.

"Was I not supposed to?" Rogers asked as he wrapped around the sarcastic genius.

"It is... rare for someone to pick up my husband's weapon. You must have certain qualities." he answered as he petted Clint into a light doze, smiling lightly at the rumbling purr. "The qualities are ones you seem to have ample amounts of; bravery, altruism, kindness and you seem to be the only non-Asgardian worthy of the weapon."

"Wow. It can tell all of that?"

"The worthiness test is one Odin enchanted himself."

"You actually are gods." Tony's gaze is clear and sharp, the intelligence behind it showing disbelief. "Not only do you refer to us as Midgardians easily, you had each of us test the hammer."

"That was Clint's test. Truly amazing, is he not? The hammer also measures potential. Each of you moved it, though it did not seem so to your senses, therefore you do possess his qualities in small amounts or your potential for them has not yet occurred."

"Huh. That's a pretty smart weapon." Banner commented lightly. Clint seemed to prefer him to the other, rougher genius. Loki could see why; the teen's temperament was calm and quiet, much like his own. In another universe perhaps they would have been together.

"It has it's ways." he chuckled wryly, conceding that the quieter genius would have been a good match for their Hawk had they not existed.

* * *

Thor watched Clint as the mortal reached out from his position between he and Loki clinging to the shirt he wore with childish possessiveness. Furthermore, he fit perfectly in the spot they'd unconsciously left open for him.

"... No. Don't leave..." the sleep-hoarse voice made him soothe the furrowed brow with a soft kiss, smiling as Clint sighed and slipped back into his dreams. He wrapped his arm tighter around both of his soul-mates and fell back into sleep himself.

The morning brought with it a startled feminine shriek of Sif-like proportions. Thor sat up slowly, wary of the woman that looked much like their little Hawk (who was sleeping soundly against Loki's chest and his husband had not awakened at the sound either).

"Please, Lady Hawk, I mean you no harm. I do not wish to awaken Clint." he said reassuringly as he brushed Loki's longer hair out of his face with a warm smile. "I am Thor Odinsson."

"Oh. You scared the bejeezus out of me..." The woman (most likely Clint's Mother) slowly lowered the hand resting over her quickly thumping heart.

"My apologies then. Perhaps we may rest for a few more moments? We have only arrived yesterday evening when the attack occurred on your family. We intended to surprise Clint but the battle did not allow for friendly talks so soon." Thor murmured as Clint stirred beneath the covers. "Det er okay, min elskede. Sov noget mere.*"

"Hmmm..." Clint replied as he snuggled closer to Loki now that Thor's body heat was above the covers. He held them close as they lazed in the bed for a few more moments. A giggle warned him that Clint's younger brother might attack at any moment; Clint growled lowly in the back of his throat at the little boy. A noise that could be described best as a bird's peep came out of the child's mouth. Their Hawk sighed as he stretched, making a peep of his own when he spotted Loki and himself on the bed.

"I thought that was a dream..."

"Nay, little Hawk. We are as real as you." he offered as he held out his arms. Clint wrapped around him like a tentacle beast, firmly attached around his shoulders and waist.

"So-mate?"

"Aye, little kitten, we are his mates."

"Barney, sweetheart-Oh there you are! You're welcome to breakfast, of course."

"You are most gracious, Lady Hawk."

"Call me Edith. I'm not a Lady." she called over her shoulder as she went down the stairs with Barney making faces at him behind her back.

"Loki?" He gently shook his husband, biting back another smile as one green eye opened and glared at him.

"Thor, I swear by Fenrir I will bite you if you shake me again."

"We are in Clint's abode. His Mother has offered us food. It would be rude to keep her waiting." he chuckled as his husband sat straight up, deep green eyes taking in the details and drawings scattered throughout Clint's room.

"Why is he attached to you like an octopus?"

"He has not let go since I said we were-"

"I know you're real. I just want you to hold me." came the muffled response from his shoulder.

"As you wish." he answered as he pressed soft kisses to Clint's exposed neck.

Loki stiffened as if remembering something. "Did you greet his Mother in your pajamas?"

"Aye. What is wrong with them?" Thor looked down at the lightning bolt covered flannel pants and what Loki had called a t-shirt when he'd summoned it (also decorated with his symbol).

"... Nevermind."

* * *

Breaking fast with the Barton family proved to be a new experience. After he and Loki had thanked the Allfather in their native tongue, the little one had proceeded to fling his mushed apples at Loki, who took it with aplomb as he subtlety redirected the sticky mess right back into the bowl from which it had come.

"So where are you from?"

"Denmark." They had agreed to come from a northern European country if Clint's parents asked.

"So you were speaking Dutch?"

"No, that would be the Netherlands. Different country." Loki corrected smoothly with a smile as he directed yet another volley back into the bowl.

"Barney!" Edith scolded the little boy as he raised his spoon again. "No. That's not nice."

"Magic." She smiled at his words but ignored them as he fed himself messily. Loki enchanted a small butterfly and tucked it away, most likely to spoil the child's imagination. "Mama, magic!"

"Silly little boy, there's no such thing." His husband made the butterfly twitch as he winked at the giggling child. She picked up the messy child shaking her head at the child's antics as she walked out of the dining room. Clint's father was much sharper, blue eyes catching the fluttering movement of the butterfly.

"You're not from Denmark. I'm pretty sure you're lying half the time-"

"Dad." Clint sighed as he wriggled around in Thor's lap, straddling his thigh as fierce blue met stormy sapphire in challenge. "Stop."

"Son-"

"Look, they came here from far away; they helped me with Javelynn's minions. They're my soul-mates and they promised to keep me safe." the impassioned defense had him full of warmth and he flooded the bond with it. "I trust them. Do you?" The elder Barton cleared his throat as he took in the way their gazes wandered to Clint and narrowed in on Thor's hands around the slender hips. Loki had one of Clint's hands clasped in his own the sight making the older (not to them) male shake his head.

"Alright. You trust them. But so help me by all that is holy, if they try anything before you want it..." The colder eyes narrowed as he trailed off, his meaning perfectly clear.

"You judge us prematurely, Lord Barton." he rumbled as Clint curled closer to him, sadness leaking through the bond as their Hawk winced.

_**He doesn't get it. I love you two and I always will.**_

* * *

Javelynn tired of the disgustingly mushy domestic scene, so she signalled more of her men to cause chaos & capture her weapon once and for all. Oh it would be fun to mold the weapon into the beast she'd imagined it would be. Cold-eyed, silent except for when she deemed it had worked hard enough for attention. It's soul-mates would die slowly and she would relish in the foreign screams.

* * *

Clint tugged his soul-mates down as soon as he heard the projectile headed for the kitchen window.

"Dad, get down!" His Dad obeyed without thought, hands covering his nose and mouth as the object exploded into tear-gas. Thor frowned at the gas. Loki dispelled it with a casual wave as black combat boots swam into Clint's vision. He snarled when they cracked both Loki and Thor across the back of their skulls, the bond suddenly flaring out in a silence he'd never heard. Upon hearing the rumbling snarl, the black boots suddenly had a face attached to them as the one who appeared to be the leader knelt in front of him.

"Look at it. Beautiful, isn't it? No wonder she wants it so bad." His snarl became even more feral when they went to move his mates. "Don't move them. I want to see what it does." Clint lifted his lips and bared his teeth as he loped around the men in black armor to his mates sniffing at their pulses to see that they were alive. With a contented purr, he nudged the pair of them into a circle that he then laid on top of, swiping at the enemy with angry hisses when they tried to move him from his chosen spot. "Alright, knock it out."

* * *

He awoke in a cold cage, his wrists bound with rope and his mouth muzzled. Clint blinked before sending a plea down the bondthreads, sadness again present. Relief vibrated back two-fold as his soul-mates responded.

"Oh. You are awake Cheshire." the low feminine voice made him shiver as he growled. "You know, I didn't think you'd cooperate when it came to those pesky soul-mates. Apparently you're a lot more protective than the other Projects. You're only the second offspring to result from our informal experiments." Clint huffed as he turned away from her; his back stiff as he communicated with Thor and Loki. An electric shock made him hiss at her, teeth bared behind the muzzle.

"Ah, ah, Cheshire. Naughty beast you are. Listen to me and you get fed." He watched her with sharp eyes, taking in minor details of the room and relaying them as pictures along the bond. The technological aspect of the room was something Tony would have drooled over before taking it over with JARVIS (Howard was still surprised that Tony had invented an AI years ahead of its time). The annoying little voice in the back of his head was pointing out all of the vents would have made a security breach so easy if he were to invade this place on a pretend mission; he knew Natasha would agree with him on this point. "Are they awake?" He shook his head no even as he flexed his hands. They'd left the invisible Norse quiver as well as the other folded bow that was velcroed into his pajamas. The idiots had left him with a lot of weapons and a lot of options on escaping. "Hmm perhaps they aren't so hard to kill after all." Clint sub-vocally growled this time aware that she had a shock collar around his neck. "You see, I want an army just like you and your Sire. He's in the cage next to you. Gorgeous, isn't he?"

He chirruped at his Dad the sight of his bloodied parent making him revert to instinct. A raspy chirrup had him relaxing a little before she spoke again, making his muscles stiff as she grated on his patience. "Oh, you're worried. That is so sweet... He's fine. My guards had a bit of trouble knocking him out. The cub and that bitch you call carrier escaped. They've vanished off of our map. We don't have time for them right now." She spun his cage around with her foot as she pointed to several red dots on the world map. "I want power. You, dear Cheshire, will get it for me. Oh, before you go? I'm killing off your precious mates." Clint's eyes widened as she snapped her fingers and his soul-mates were brought in, looking slightly ill but none the worse for wear. He gripped the bars so tight that the metal twisted under his palms as he silently watched the pair be 'awoken' by a sharp slap from Javelynn.

"Ma'am, you sure you want it watching?"

"That was the plan."

"Where are we?" Thor rasped, testing the strength of the straps keeping him down. Loki locked gazes with him as he signed carefully:

_**'Are you okay?'**_

Loki barely nodded as Clint fired off another message.

_**'Can you get out? Are you seriously injured?'**_

The answers were ones that made him content; a yes and no to the questions he'd asked.

"Cheshire, what are you doing?" He made a noise of frustration as he tried to wriggle his way out of the bars. "Oh, no, we can't have that..." A low pained hiss escaped him as she turned the shock collar higher before stopping. "I need you to watch." Two metal clasps pulled his collar so that he had to look in the direction of his soul-mates as she picked up a scalpel.

"Please..." he begged, not wanting to see either of them injured.

"Shut up, beast." The leader of what seemed to be her minions kicked his cage. She ignored his plea and cut a long line down Thor's thigh, making the older blond grunt. Loki's eyes flashed red as the fluid that leaked out was golden.

"Oh, what is this? Go have the lab analyze this, please. Unless you'd like to tell me Cheshire?"

"It's ichor." Clint ground out from between his clenched teeth.

"Sweet, deluded little kitty. Your soul-mates are not gods..." By this point, Loki looked decidedly angry as she continued to monologue. "Look at them. Pale, weak beings that can't stand the sight of each other's blood." She raised the ichor-covered scalpel towards his Jotun soul-mate and the blade snapped as she tried to cut him as well. "Impenetrable skin? Hmm, I don't remember you being part of the experiments."

"Foolish woman, release me at once. I have no time for your games." Loki sneered as he strained against the straps; this time apparently done trying to play defenseless human. They snapped under Loki's strength. His Jotun soul-mate then turned to Thor's table and snapped the restraints with a cold expression.

"You're strong. Would you join my forces like Cheshire?" Clint tugged at the clasps, growling as he couldn't reach them. "Silence, beast." The leader kicked his cage again making his soul-mate even angrier than before.

"Loki." The cage fell about him in pieces as Loki removed the collar and muzzle with a tenderness that made him hum. "We have to get rid of this place."

"What are you talking about Cheshire? We're just getting started."

"I do not agree. We are done here." With that said, Thor summoned Mjolnir and his armor appeared on him instantly. "Friend Tony should be able to access this place, yes?" Loki closed his eyes, falling into what seemed to be a trance and suddenly Tony was there looking slightly rattled.

"Okay, that was freaky. What-Oh. Is this the woman you told us about, Hawkeye? JARVIS, set up a hack-feed." Tony sneered at Javelynn as Thor tied her and the minion leader up with the wires coiled on the floor. "JARVIS, Daddy wants a report."

"We have the mainframe, Master Stark."

"How easy?"

"Several firewalls and encryptions, sir, but nothing your programming could not handle."

"Boring! Ugh, if you wanted to take over the world, you'd need a lot better security. JARVIS music." Puddle of Mudd blasted through the speakers, making Clint grin as Loki healed his Dad. "Let's see... Hey, Hawkeye, should we track down these people on file?"

"Just take all of them and keep them somewhere secure."

"Alert the authorities or just leave 'em to rot?"

"Authorities. Erase all trace of their experiment's names but make sure they see what they did." he sighed, thinking it through. "Take JARVIS with you when you go."

"Do I look that stupid? Of course I will Hawkeye. By the way, you're in this." Tony scoffed as his fingers flew over the keys.

"Leave my name."

"... You sure?" Ochre eyes met sapphire and his friend gave in.

"They're going to need a face to show."

"You ready for all of that?"

"I have my soul-mates and you guys when it gets to be too much." He laughed as Journey came on through the speakers, mouthing the words with a smile.

_**Someday love will find you**_

_**Break the those chains that bind you**_

_**One night will remind you**_

_**How we touched**_

_**And went our separate ways**_

_**If he ever hurts you**_

_**True love won't desert you**_

_**You know I still love you**_

* * *

Love can be found this strangest of places. Somewhere out there is your Prince or Princess, only they got lost, turned in the wrong direction and stubbornly refuse to ask for directions. But for our hawk and his two Princes? All was well.

* * *

**Ending A/N:** This seems a bit fast-paced. Is it? It feels like it. Also, I have no idea what the hell I'm writing. I'm serious. I am also gonna rant for a bit about a pet peeve of mine. Asgard and Midgard are spelled so _**wrong**_ in several Avengers fics that I've come across while reading FrostHawk, ThunderFrost, FrostIron and various other pairings. I'm not even kidding; these people spell it 'Asguard' and Midguard' and any other variation other than what the proper spelling is! I get that some people are using Oxford English and that I can forgive. It's the _**other**_ authors who tick me off when they spell it wrong. I get that you're trying to spell it in an old-timey manner, really I do, but stop for a moment and research Norse Mythology before you start writing. Please, for my sanity and those who know what I'm talking about?*takes deep breath* Okay, I'm calm now. This thing has been on my mind and out on an iTouch for two months now. This beats out DMM:Ww? as plunny most on my mind; a new record in fact. It also beats out Geasalt Seeker as fic with the most pages in one sitting with a whopping forty-one to its thirty-seven. If you loved, please_** REVIEW**_!

I also would love to give you all visual aids for the soul-mate designs as well as the astral and wooden recurve bows. Would you like to see them? PM or review if you'd like to see me put them up on my DeviantArt account, which is posted on my profile. Also, I am not opposed to fan-art. :)

_**REMEMBER: REVIEWS = LOVE!**_

* Danish for sorcerer

Weakest of three, pain shall you feel, until the bond you repeal, as I will it, so mote it be.

You who cast the enchantment now take the effect, beloved our bond resurrect.

** Swordmaster- Also known as Jaques Duquense, Clint's mentor in the comics. Not that nice of a mentor considering he tried to kill Clint and the Avengers multiple times before dying.

*needles used for both acupuncture as well as weaponry

*Damn it! How do you do that?

*Steve Rogers is able to pick up Mjolnir. It's a random Marvel fact that not a lot of people know!

*It is alright, my love. Sleep some more.


End file.
